The Foreign Service Journal, January 2007

cially in urban areas. The latter two sites also include other capabilities for finding interesting locations and allowing the user to add their own “placemarks,” or personalized mark- ers linked to other information pro- vided by the user. Going beyond simple visualization, GIS technologies can analyze and model data, usually residing in a data- base or spreadsheet, in a graphical map form. The technology is useful for integrating large databases that can then be visualized showing patterns, trends and relationships that might otherwise go unnoticed or be unap- preciated. Such systems can also facil- itate data sharing among diverse organizations. GIS technologies can be made available through online — and, if desired, interactive — tools that department personnel, including deci- sion makers and problem-solvers, could be using to merge diverse yet up-to-date material affecting the poli- cy issues addressed daily. Many federal and international agencies use GIS effectively. The United Nations Office for Coordina- tion of Humanitarian Affairs, for example, publishes maps and situation reports for disasters worldwide. Maps of the region affected by the Muzaf- farabad earthquake, including an over- view of the affected area and the flood risk were published on the OCHA Web site (www.ocha.org ). The De- fense Department uses GIS extensive- ly, both domestically and in the field for operations. And the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration all use GIS for a wide variety of situation analyses, strategic planning and long-term analysis, as well as day-to-day programmatic and operational activities. Other organizations, such as the Red Cross, use GIS software products and then select data that is publicly 38 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7